This invention relates to games in general, and particularly to gaming machines allowing wagers to be placed on a game, and more particularly to an innovative casino-type gaming machine which allows wagers on a plurality of game levels.
There are many ways in which multiple wagers may be placed on different gaming machines. In one of the simplest forms, a player may make a variable wager on a specific bet. On a single line slot machine for example, as the player inputs additional coins into the machine (per play) the payouts for the single payline is multiplied by the number of coins bet. Often the higher awards increase beyond the given multiple, offering a bonus for betting more coins on this single payline. The same type of multiple coin bet is also well known in video poker, where a typical bet is one to five coins on each hand played. In such a video poker game, the paytable is multiplied by the number of coins bet with a substantial bonus being given for a Royal Flush when five coins are bet.
In other gaming machines, there are multiple bets that can be made on different outcomes. In a multiline slot machine for example, a wager can be made on each of a plurality of paylines. Typically, each payline is paid according to a paytable (also referred to as a xe2x80x9cpayout tablexe2x80x9d) that is similar for each payline. A single spin of the reels yields a result on each payline which is paid if it matches a winning combination on the paytable.
The above two techniques have been combined, providing multiple paylines and multiple coins per payline. The pay for each payline is multiplied by the number of coins bet on that payline with certain bonuses available when a higher number of coins per payline are wagered.
Additionally, there have been games such as Double-Down Stud poker which allow a player to place an additional bet on a game that is already in progress. There have been games such as Play-It-Again poker which allow a player to make a new bet on a re-play of a starting hand.
Thus, it can be appreciated that there have been poker games, for instance, which allow a player to bet on multiple hands where each of the plurality of hands is generated from a single initial deal, followed by independent draws or re-deals for each hand that received a bet. In each case, the bets that are made are considered to be made on a game of chance, and paid if there is a winning result.
In broad overview, the present invention in one aspect allows the placing of multiple bets on different stages of a game. The game is comprised of a plurality of stages. Each operation of the game begins with the operation of a first stage. Depending on the outcome of the first stage the game may be over, or there may be an operation of a second stage. The second stage operation may be totally independent of the first stage, or may have dependencies on first stage events or data, e.g., the achievement of a xe2x80x9cwinningxe2x80x9d first stage. As will be understood throughout this invention disclosure, xe2x80x9cwinningxe2x80x9d is just one form of possible advancement to the next level. For example, one aspect of the invention includes a xe2x80x9cspecial cardxe2x80x9d (Free Ride) which permits advancement even if a xe2x80x9closingxe2x80x9d condition is presented at a level.
Depending on the outcome of the second stage, the game may be over or there may be an operation of a third stage. This sequence continues until the game ends or until the final (nth) stage has been operated, at which time the game ends.
It should be appreciated that not every stage will operate in each game, and that the lowest stages will operate the most often while the highest stages will operate the least often.
As noted above, the present invention furthermore allows the player to place wagers on different stages of the multi-stage game. Each stage of the game may typically have its own paytable or payout scheme, and its own expected return. A bet made on a stage of the game which is not played is lost in one contemplated form of the invention. Thus, at the highest stages the bets made are lost very often, without even playing that stage of the game, because most games will end before getting to the highest stage bet. Due to this architecture, there is much greater opportunity for large wins in games which get to the highest stages. This makes for a more exciting gaming experience, because as the players watch the game successfully continue through the various stages, the expectation of what may be won at each stage usually increases.
Embodiments shown herein are generally constructed such that the player specifies at the outset of the game the number of stages or levels to bet on. For instance, bets are made on a first level, a second level, and up to the number of levels specified by the player. While this is one preferred embodiment which gives the player action at all levels up to the highest level bet, it is envisioned that the player could be allowed to arbitrarily choose which levels to bet without departing from the invention. So too, it is contemplated that the game could allow for a new bet as stages are achieved.
Certain contemplated embodiments also have a structure that any xe2x80x9cWinxe2x80x9d on a given stage advances the game to the next stage. Other contemplated embodiments have different game rules for continuing from stage to stage, and operate under those rules for a given stage.
In one aspect of the invention, it is a principal objective to provide a method of playing a game, where a player is initially provided with a first stage game of chance upon which a first wager is placed by the player, and a second stage game of chance upon which a second wager is placeable. As previously noted, the game stages can be the same type of game (e.g., slots), or different games (e.g., slots, cards, dice, roulette, etc.).
Each stage has a xe2x80x9cwinningxe2x80x9d condition and a xe2x80x9closingxe2x80x9d condition. That is, there is an established criterion or criteria whereby the player may advance from one stage to the next, or may not. As used throughout this disclosure, and in the claims, xe2x80x9cwinningxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9closingxe2x80x9d are to be considered synonymous with advancing or terminating, unless otherwise stated.
The first stage game is played, with a determination of whether a winning/advancement or losing/terminating condition is presented. If a winning condition is presented by the first stage game as played, then the player advances to the second stage game, assuming a bet has been previously placed for that stage. If a losing condition is presented by the first stage game as played, however, the game is over and any second wager (or higher) is lost. It will be understood that in some embodiments a loss condition could be presented by simply achieving a condition where only part of a wager placed on a given level may be returned, i.e., a player wagered 5 on a level but only achieved a return of 3. So too, all of the bet need not be lost as a terminating/losing condition.
In the event that the first stage presents a winning condition and there is a wager for the second stage, then the second stage game is played. There follows a determination as to which of the winning and losing conditions is presented by the second stage game as played. These steps are repeated for as many stages as are provided by the game if all have been bet upon, or as many stages as have actually been bet upon if fewer than all, again assuming a winning/advancement condition has been met for each preceding stage.
In a preferred form the foregoing method of playing a game includes the step of providing a payout for a winning condition at the second stage, or more preferably providing a payout for a winning condition at each stage. The payout can be based upon the amount of a respective wager at a respective stage, and advantageously includes an increase by a multiplier for a payout at a respective stage, with the multiplier increasing for each successive stage.
In another aspect of the invention, the foregoing method is adapted for operating a processor-controlled gaming machine. In this application of the invention, gameplay elements are provided in a manner that can be visualized by a player, such as on a video display screen, or in some three dimensional format where the gameplay elements can be tracked (such as on a board with an electronic interface), just to name two ways of such visualization. In this form of the invention, a mechanism for a wager input from the player is also provided, along with a mechanism for game operational input from the player, such as to start play.
There is a first stage game of chance upon which a first wager is placed by the player, and at least a second stage game of chance upon which a second wager is placeable. Each stage has a winning/advancement condition and a losing/terminating condition. In the preferred form of the invention, all wagers are placed before play begins at the first stage level.
This gaming machine displays at least the first stage game using at least some of the gameplay elements. For instance, using a video monitor as an example, a first slot machine may be displayed (or first display of cards, or dice, etc.). More than one stage may be displayed at a time (e.g., a plurality of slot machine representations stacked one on top of another on the display). The first stage game is then played, with the previously described determination of which of the winning and losing conditions is presented by the first stage game as played. Again, if a winning condition is presented, the player advances to the second stage game, but if a losing condition is presented by the first stage game as played, the game is over and at least some (and most preferably all) of the second (and any subsequent) wager is lost.
If not already displayed, and assuming there has been an advancing condition met at the first stage and a bet placed on the second stage, the second stage game of chance is displayed (or, for instance, activated if already displayed). This second stage is played, with a determination of which of the winning and losing conditions is presented by the second stage game as played. If there is a winning condition, this form of the invention provides a payout for the second stage, as well as for any subsequent consecutive stage for which there is a winning condition, and a wager placed thereon.
One embodiment of this method as applied to a gaming machine provides a set of differing gameplay element indicia, such as facets of a die. A subset of at least one match indicia against which a set of dice are to be matched in the course of play is established, such as a random selection of die faces (e.g., three die numbers against which tossed dice are to be matched. In a preferred form of this dice gaming machine, first, second, third and successive stages up to said nth stages are displayed together as discrete arrays on a visual display.
The dice are initially tossed in one embodiment, and beginning with at least the second stage game, a determination is made as to whether any match is made between the match indicia and the dice tossed. At least one match comprises a winning condition for a stage being played, in this embodiment. If a match is not made, then the unmatched indicium is removed from further play. The game ends when no matches are made at a given level, again assuming that a wager has been made up to and including that level.
Yet another aspect of the invention is providing a feature which is subject to random allocation to a stage in the course of play, with the feature if allocated enabling a next stage to be played regardless of whether a winning condition has otherwise been presented. The feature, referred to herein as a xe2x80x9cFree Ride,xe2x80x9d therefore constitutes or comprises a so-called winning/advancement condition. Of course, a wager still needs to have been placed on the next stage which is subject to being so enabled for play by the Free Ride feature.
A video card game comprises yet another form of the invention. Here, a video display device is driven by a cpu having a program. A wager input mechanism registers a wager placed by a player, with the wager including an ability to register bets upon successive stages of the game. A first deck of playing cards comprised of cards of suit and rank is generated by the program, with the program establishing a first array for display of a subset of the deck (i.e., a hand) of cards randomly selected from the deck.
A first stage hand of cards is dealt. The card game could be one in which the hand as so dealt is not subject to a draw, or the player can select cards to discard, with a new card taking the place of any discarded. In either event, the hand ultimately becomes set, and a determination is made as to whether the hand of cards presents a winning/advancement condition based upon a preset hierarchical ranking of card arrangements relating to suit and rank. As in the situations noted above, subsequent hands of cards are dealt if a winning condition is presented by the previous hand, provided a bet has been registered for each successive stage. If a losing condition is presented by a stage, or a stage is reached upon which no wager has been made, the game is over. Bets on any higher stage are lost if a losing condition is presented, as is the bet on the stage for which the losing condition is registered. A payout output based upon the wager and predetermined values for a stage is preferably provided according to a preset hierarchical ranking of card arrangements relating to suit and rank. The payout output can include payout tables which are different for at least some of the stages, and may further include a multiplier for at least some of the stages, with the multiplier increasing for successively higher stages.
In a video slot machine version of the invention, a plurality of rotatable reels is generated by the computer program, each of the reels being comprised of a plurality of different indicia. Each of the reels is caused by the program to appear to rotate and then randomly stop to thereby yield a display of certain indicia as a spin. If an advancement condition is presented on the first stage spin, a second stage spin occurs if a bet has been registered for that second stage spin, and so forth. The first stage spin can be visually displayed as a first set of reels in a first array, with the second stage spin likewise visually displayed as a second set of reels in a second array, and successive stage spins each so displayed as further sets of reels in successive respective arrays, with a plurality of arrays being displayed together on the visual display. Alternatively, one set of reels could be repeatedly spun for each stage. Payouts and multipliers can be provided in like manner to that described above for the card game embodiment, or as otherwise may be desired. One variant of the slot machine version of the invention has the multiplier for the games nth stage spin (the last possible level) randomly selected by the program from a predetermined table of multipliers, where at least most of the multipliers are greater than a multiplier for any previous stage. This random multiplier can advantageously be displayed, or physically embodied, as a wheel having segments with the multipliers displayed in respective segments of the wheel. The wheel is caused to rotate and come to a stop with the random multiplier at a designated stop point.
Of course, the foregoing invention as described in a video slot machine embodiment could be readily embodied in a standard mechanical slot machine. Likewise, the video dice game is readily adapted to a table-type game format, as is the video card game contemplated above.
In the same vein, a gaming machine coming within the scope of one aspect of the invention broadly comprises a gaming unit having at least first and second stages of play, each stage having an advancement condition and a non-advancement condition. Some kind of interface mechanism with the gaming unit allows gameplay input for a player, with the gameplay input including wagering input allowing the player to register a bet upon one or more stages of play.
An operational device operates the gaming unit, upon player input including an operational command. The operational device determines which of the conditions is presented by a first stage as played, and if an advancement condition is presented, then advancing the gaming unit to the second stage, but if a non-advancement condition is presented, the game is over and at least a portion, and preferably all, of any second stage bet registered is lost. Play continues for a successive stage up to a predetermined nth stage if an advancement condition is determined for that next stage to be reached, and a bet has been previously registered for that successive stage. Again, the stages of play can be games which are of the same type of game, or different types of games. These can also be games that have not yet been invented.
These aspects of the invention, along with other aspects, advantages, objectives and accomplishments of the invention, will be further understood and appreciated upon consideration of the following detailed description of certain present embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: